Hot dog! Club Maccao draws lovers of world-class franks

Stock car 66 sits atop Club Maccao as a sign of good luck.

VINCE REMBULAT/The Bulletin

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• PLACE: Club Maccao• LOCATION: 8275 S. El Dorado St., French Camp.• WHAT IT’S ABOUT: World famous hot dogs and hot links. No one under 21 is admitted since Club Maccao is a bar.• INFORMATION: 982-1910.

That’s the French Camp drinking establishment located at 8275 S. El Dorado St. owned by Marina and Louie Torres.

“(Car) 66 is my good luck,” Marina said on Thursday.

She noted that the stock car was actually the legacy of the father of her grandson, Freddie.

Torres might be right as far as luck extending to the business.

The shell of the car coupled with the sign that reads “World Famous Hot Dogs” has brought in its fair share of curiosity seekers. While there, they might try the hot dog or hot links at $3.50 each, and might come away hooked.

What makes the hot dogs so famous?

Torres mentioned that the secret is in the brand of meat used – in this case, Alpine hot dogs and hot links – and the preparation.

Alpine also happens to be the official hot dog and sausage maker of the World Series champion San Francisco Giants as well as the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League.

“We get a lot of truck drivers who stop by to pick up our hot dogs,” Marina Torres said.

She and Louie have owned Club Maccao for the past 13 years. Prior to that, Marina worked at Aldo’s Restaurant in Manteca for eight years. “I only knew how to run the bar,” she said.

Club Maccao is a bar with curious pieces throughout. The ceilings, for example, have an area posted with dollar bills by customers. Beer posters from distributors like Coors and Budweiser are mounted high above the ceilings.

“When I got the place it was empty,” said Torres, who can be found there most days.

She eventually collected enough stuff to shape the inside of Club Maccao.

Business runs in the family. Claudia, the Torres’ daughter, operates Taqueria X/Press at 3543 Atchison St. in Riverbank.